Community Development and Housing

Self-sufficiency efforts are directed at building stronger, more stable families and creating safe communities that meet the needs of their members in a healthy, sustainable way. The community development and housing field uses a locally-driven approach to empowering communities that emphasizes affordable, safe housing and regionally-based job and economic development as key strategic elements for sustaining healthy communities. This section of the SSRC includes resources on homelessness, home ownership, neighborhoods, rural and urban planning and development, as well as programs and approaches related to banking, energy assistance, public and Indian housing, and an assortment of community level programs.

View recommendations from the SSRC Librarian on Community Development and Housing and relevant Federal laws and regulations below.

Homelessness impacts low-income individuals' and families' ability to find and maintain employment and raise their children in a consistent, safe environment. Housing supports, such as rent subsidies and emergency assistance to prevent eviction assist low-income individuals and families in obtaining affordable housing and paying rent and other bills on time to avoid eviction. Place-based strategies are community-level approaches to combat homelessness, improve self-sufficiency, and increase the availability of jobs for low-income individuals in communities.

This webinar explored the ways that foreclosure affects households, including finances, health, trust in lending institutions, and stability. Based on interviews with families in Boston, MA, the Scholar relayed her findings as to why households in foreclosure often end up spending their hard-earned savings and wealth in a process of asset depletion.

This webinar explored Public Housing Authorities' integration of employment supports and their impacts in supporting residents' job training and work placement. Speakers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, MDRC, the Urban Institute, Abt Associates, and ICF International described their experiences implementing and evaluating economic and job development programs that focus on public housing residents.

Federal legislation and regulatory guidance provides the operational context for community development and housing programs. Click the first link below to view legislative resources specific to community development and housing programs. Click the second link to browse additional self-sufficiency legislation and policy in the SSRC library.